Washington Sundar made his mark on his return to the side, posting a seven-wicket haul to frustrate New Zealand on day one of the second Test.
India look to have quickly put last week’s defeat behind them as they made a statement with a strong start.
Ravichandran Ashwin took the first three wickets (3-64), though Devon Conway’s knock of 76 had already pushed the tourists to 138-3 before Sundar (7-59) stepped up to the plate.
Rachin Ravindra’s 65 almost got them over the 200 mark, before he was bowled by Sundar, who then proceeded to take the next six wickets, with only Daryl Mitchell (18) and Mitchell Santner (33) hitting double figures as New Zealand were limited to 259 inside 80 overs.
However, India’s day at the bat did not get off to a good start as Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck.
They reached stumps at 16-1, and Yashasvi Jaiswal (6 not out) and Shubman Gill (10 not out) will be hoping to kick on when they resume play on Friday. (SportsMax)